Spark
by dystopianna
Summary: [Between CA:TFA and Avengers] Steve Rogers is having trouble coping with the modern world. His life seems fairly lonely and empty, until he meets Charlotte "Charlie" Cohen. Maybe she's the spark of hope he's been searching for.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

It had been nearly two months since he had woken up inside of a SHIELD building. Two months since Colonel Nick Fury told him had been frozen for nearly 70 years; stuck in a state of suspended animation while his friends lived the rest of their lives and died. Seventy years since he had missed his date with Peggy, since he had taken down the Red Skull, since he had lost Bucky.

The feelings it left him with was worse than any of the scars the war had tried to give him. At least in combat you can live or die fighting, you have some say in your fate. This… This felt like he was weak teenager again, physically helpless against all that the world wanted to throw at him. Except even then he had been able to fight back, although it never did much good, now he was just lost, free-falling. For the first time in his life, Steve Rogers felt hopeless.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Steve walked down the street of the neighborhood he used to call home. He barely recognized anything. New York and Brooklyn had changed so while much he was gone; old shops he used to visit are long closed, either boarded up and graffiti-covered or renovated into some chain store. Even his old apartment complex was different, torn down and turned into office space. One thing had remained relatively unchanged though, a small two-screen movie theater called Queen's Cinema he used to visit when he was a teen. He and Bucky frequented the small establishment before Bucky had enlisted, back when each showing only cost 10¢. The last memory he had of the place was bittersweet; Bucky had to save him from getting beat up in the alley out back, that was the night before Bucky shipped off to England in the 107th Infantry.

Now he was back here on recommendation by Fury himself. He had spent most of his first months working out for hours a day in the SHIELD building he had first woken in. He would box into punching bag after punching bag, trying desperately to not to think about the helplessness that was constantly on the verge of consuming him. One night, the Colonel came in with a team of agents to help him start becoming accustomed to the modern world. Rogers had quickly tried to shrug them off, but Fury would only play ball if Steve made an effort to engage in activities beyond the SHIELD building, as he hadn't been outside the place since he first woke up.

As a compromise, Fury would leave Steve alone if agreed to go out at least three times a week. He also suggested Queen's Cinema as a possible first activity for Steve, as they held a showing of classic movies every Thursday night for $5 a ticket. Tonight they were playing _Frankenstein, _he remembered sneaking in to see the movie when he was only 13, and it had scared the hell out of him. He bought his ticket and skipped the concessions and headed straight into the theater.

When he stepped in it felt for a second like he had traveled back in time. Although they had updated some of the furnishings and the electronics, the interior of the empty theater had remained relatively unchanged. He couldn't stop himself from thinking of the times Bucky had dragged him there on double dates, or when they gorged themselves on the salt-water taffy they had snuck in from their trip to Coney Island.

He almost walked right out; the experience was so overwhelming. But he stopped himself; if he didn't go through with this he would be stuck dealing with Fury's lackeys and their 'acclimation program.'

"Suck it up, Rogers," he muttered to himself.

He then slid into the nearest seat and got settled in. At this point he realized the theater wasn't completely empty, as he had first thought. There was a brunette woman sitting a few rows ahead of him who didn't appear to notice his arrival. He wondered if she was there alone, maybe her date was getting them refreshments. But then he remembered that women were more often openly independent these days, a fact that he had noticed when seeing many important female operatives at SHIELD. This self-reliant aspect had always appealed to him, it was a trait he had recognized in his mother, who single-handedly supported and raised him after his father died in WW1. He had known another similarly strong woman, but he tried to push the thought of her out of his head. Thinking about Bucky had been painful enough; he didn't need to torture himself tonight with thoughts of Peggy as well.

He was saved by the start of the movie. He watched in silence, sometimes struck by parallels of the creature and the Red Skull. Both physically contorted, man-made monsters searching for something. But he quieted the thoughts of his former Hydra nemesis, that monster was long dead. After he quieted his mind, the seventy-minute movie seemed to pass too quickly, and soon the lights came up and he was left to deal with reality.

The woman in front of him stood up, stretched and put her hand over her mouth to cover a large yawn. She turned and noticed Steve for the first time.

"Oh, hi!," she squeaked in surprise, "I had no idea you were there."

"Oh sorry, I… I came in at the last second," he muttered with a small smile. It seemed that after seventy years he was still incapable of talking to women.

They both took a second to surmise the other. She was truly beautiful, tall with high cheekbones, full lips, and a crooked smile. With her dark brown, curly hair and red lipstick, was Steve was once again caught with thoughts of Peggy.

She could sense an unexpected wave of sadness in his handsome features that she didn't understand. But she was also struck by his appearance; he had to be at least six feet tall with a strong clean-shaven chin and dark blond hair, and gorgeous as hell. She suddenly remembered that she should probably respond to his comment.

"Oh that's okay! I'm just not used to… I'm just normally the only person that ever comes to these showings. It seems no one really cares about classic movies anymore, but I really love them. I'm Charlie by the way, actually Charlotte, but no one calls me that…"

If he hadn't been so full with thoughts of Peggy he probably would have chuckled at her awkward, adorable rambling. Instead he gave her a smile, that didn't completely reach his eyes.

Charlie had the urge to comfort this strange sad man, but she shrugged it away for fear of scaring him off and gathered her things. As she reached the door she heard him call out to her.

"Charlie, wait!" She turned towards him.

He paused thinking of what he should say, "My name's Steve and it was… it was really nice to meet you."

He headed towards her and held open the door, irritated with himself for almost forgetting his manners. As they reached the front of the theater, Charlie turned and gave him a genuine, dimpled smile.

"It was nice to meet you too, Steve."

They turned their separate ways, each left with their head swimming with thoughts of the other.

* * *

So that's the end of chapter 1! How'd you guys like it?

Again, I'm keeping the first chapters kind of short, as Charlie and Steve sort of ease into knowing each other.

Thanks for reading (and maybe even reviewing)! :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

To comply with Fury's orders, Steve Rogers had formed a weekly routine. On Monday he would go for a run to Central Park, he just had to remember to keep his speed at average-human level, SHIELD didn't want anyone getting suspicious. Although it was a long journey on foot at his reduced-speed, Steve hadn't yet replaced his motorcycle (which he had totaled fighting Hydra in 1945) but he probably wouldn't have used it anyway. Steve was constantly itching for some form of physical activity, to help keep his mind off the past. Even though he spent countless hours in SHIELD's underground gym, he really began to enjoy running around the city, even if it was below the speed he would have preferred.

On Wednesdays he would walk the area around the SHIELD building, looking for little coffee shops or bakeries where he could stop in and find a quiet place to sketch. Thus far he hadn't found one that he liked enough to revisit. He found that often they were too loud or the people too rude. Also he frequently found his attempts at peace being interrupted by people trying to make conversations, usually pretty young women and occasionally men as well. Steve was too polite to turn anyone away out of hand, but he had never been great at small talk and he couldn't understand why he was getting all this attention. But after he got his focus, he usually sketched the people from his past life during these outings. He drew from memory Peggy smiling, Bucky caught in a laugh, The Howling Commandos toasting with overflowing glass tankards, and sometimes even his mother wearing the smile she only ever showed to Steve. He found that these drawings were some of the best ways to deal with his sadness, he felt like he was paying tribute to the heroes in his life.

But Steve looked forward to Thursdays the most. It had been five weeks since his first outing to the Queen's Theater. He found he no longer had the painful gut-reaction that he had experienced that first time. He now felt some sadness, but tried to focus on the positive aspects of the nostalgia.

As for movies, he had seen some classics for the first time, like _Charade_ and _To Kill A Mockingbird_, which came out after he had been frozen. He also saw others that had he had seen when they had come out, like _Casablanca_ and _King Kong_. And as much as enjoyed seeing these films, that reminded him of the time he was born it, he often found his attention focused on something other than the screen.

Charlie and Steve had formed a sort of schedule on these movie nights. They would greet each other when they arrived, generally simple hellos and questions about how their day had been. They would then offer to share some of whatever snack they had chosen for the evening. This had started on week two after Charlie had offered him some of her Kit Kat, and not having anything to reciprocate he had declined in order to not be rude. However he immediately saw that this wasn't the correct response when he saw her nod her head, but purse her pouty lips into a little frown. In order to make up for his mistake the next week, he bought an assortment of candies that he could trade with her. He quickly found out that Charlie had an incredible sweet tooth and was keen on sharing the treats.

Next came his favorite part of the evening, getting to sneak glances at her watching the movie. Something he hadn't noticed during their first movie together was how invested Charlie became in the films she viewed. She would laugh at every funny part, cry when something was even remotely sad, get angry at frustrating scenes, and sometimes he even caught her mouthing the dialogue. She had really meant it when she said she loved classic movies.

Her quirky take on movie-going fascinated Steve. Although he loved movies and would marvel at the technology every time he went when he was young, he had never immersed himself the way that Charlie did. No longer when he looked at her did he see the ghost of Peggy, but he started to see everything unique about her, he tried to see her as who she _really_ was, instead of the shadow of his former love.

Finally, the last step of their routine, when the movie was over he would open the door for her and they would say their goodnights, each one lingering just a little longer after every passing week.

Steve had been working up the courage to ask her for coffee, and he planned on finally trying this week. He didn't really have any romantic intentions behind the question, he wasn't ready for that, but he truly did want to get to know her better. She's the first person since he woke up that's been able to make him smile and feel hopeful, and he wanted to be around her more often than just their movie interactions. He had found himself thinking more and more about her, from the small birthmark under her nose to the way her cheeks dimpled when she smiled.

That night the scheduled film was _Gone With The Wind_, which although Steve normally enjoyed the movie, tonight the four hours could not pass fast enough. He had finished off the licorice Charlie had given him in about the first fifteen minutes, and from then on he could hardly think of anything except his nerves over asking Charlie to coffee.

He had to give himself a mental pep talk.

_I'm Captain America; I've fought Nazis all over Europe. My team and I defeated the Red Skull and brought down Hydra. I've survived Peggy Carter's glare and being frozen in ice for nearly seventy years. Surely I can ask a girl out on a non-date!_

By the end of it he felt somewhat better about what he was about to do, but he just once again wished he had Bucky's charisma and charm.

After what felt like forever, the movie ended and Charlie stood up and did her routine stretch and yawn. As they walked out the door, they both shivered at the brisk November evening.

"Goodnight, Steve," Charlie said between yawns. She started to turn to walk away.

"Wait, Charlie… I was wondering if you…" Steve mumbled while turning a vivid pink and thinking, _Come on Rogers, spit it out!_

"You were wondering?" Charlie asked, looking up at Steve quizzically because of his long pause and blush, but with a smile playing at her lips.

"Yeah… I was just wondering… if you um, had any licorice left?" _You are an absolute idiot, Rogers._

"Oh. Sure! Have the rest the bag," she said in a clearly surprised tone, "Night, Steve."

"Thanks, Charlie! Goodnight."

They both turned and walked away. Steve got about 50 feet away before starting to mutter about being a complete moron, thinking that Bucky would have kicked his ass if he saw how he chickened out. He was so wrapped up in his self-deprecating thoughts that he almost didn't hear it.

Behind him someone cried out in shock and pain.

"Oh god, Charlie."

* * *

And that's all for this chapter! Sorry I left you with a bit of a cliffhanger, but I found that this was the best stopping point for this chapter.

BTW, this fic is totally a chance for me to indulge on some of the Steve headcanons I have. For example, the fact that he can't tell when people are trying to flirt with him, he really doesn't know what a babe he is!

And again thanks for taking the time to read and/or review, I've hope you enjoyed it! :)

P.S I really wanted to write a fluff piece for Steve about 4th of July today, but I just couldn't make it work with where the story is currently at. Instead I'll wish just wish him a Happy Birthday, and to all of you that celebrate it, Happy Independence Day! 3


	3. Chapter 3

Before we dive into the action we left off with, I want to take a step back to show some of Charlie's POV. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Charlie moved quickly throughout the apartment rearranging everything that wasn't nailed to the floor. _God, Hazel is going to be so pissed. She hates when I move her sewing supplies. _But she couldn't help herself, she always got this was when she was anxious. Normally she was fairly reserved and relaxed, but when something stressful happened she had a tendency to start babbling or reorganizing (her brain often choosing the activity that would cause the most embarrassment for herself in the given moment).

_I have nothing to be nervous about. Cohen, you need to stop acting like a pre-teen about to go on her first date. _

Charlie finally gave up on moving things around the room and started getting ready. She had decided the night before that she wanted to wear her favorite baby blue blouse, and black circle skirt. But now that she had it on she felt completely overdressed and foolish. _I'm just going to a movie, not a job interview. Damn, now I need to pick out something completely new._

She finally settled on her well-loved cable-knit sweater that Hazel, her roommate had made for her a few years ago. And after she threw that on she selected dark grey skinny jeans and black ankle boots to complete the look. She examined herself in the mirror. _Huh, not too shabby. Hazel is going to be so proud of me. _

Charlie had never been incredibly fashion-conscious, but her beloved roommate dedicated most of her free time to making clothing, as evident from the stacks of fabric and sketches scattered about the two-bedroom apartment they shared. She preferred to spend her time curled up with a good book, listening to music, or watching movies, of course.

Anyway, since she now had a solid outfit picked out she just had to finish getting ready. She glimpsed at the clock after applying her mascara and signature red lipstick. _Shit! When did it get so late?!_ Charlie glanced at her thick, unruly curls in the mirror and muttered, "It'll have to do," before she grabbed her trench coat and ran out the door.

She arrived at the theater just a few minutes before the movie began and had to rush to buy her snacks. While waiting for the cashier to ring up her sweets she was hit with that feeling of nervousness again. She had felt those dumb little butterflies ever since she had met Steve over a month ago. He was completely gorgeous, and completely out of her league. And given his strange reaction to her the first time they met_, _she doubted he was even remotely interested. _He had just seemed so lost… Get over it, Cohen. Yeah he's cute and sweet with total puppy-dog eyes, but don't get your hopes up, it's not going to happen._

Although Steve was incredibly polite and kind to her, she had no illusions that it meant she was special. Somehow, he just had that gentlemanly air about him, she had sensed it ever since he opened the door for her that first night. But just because he wasn't the average jerk she came across in NYC didn't mean he liked her that way.

Charlie headed into the theater, and said a quick hi to Steve, who had stood up to greet her. He was wearing his usual khaki pants and plaid button-up, with his reddish-brown leather jacket already draped over the back of his chair. _Seriously, how are his eyes that blue?!_ Charlie's cheeks quickly flushed a soft pink that she hoped he didn't notice.

She traded him some licorice for a couple of handfuls of Milk Duds and they found their seats. Tonight they were playing one of her favorites, _Gone With The Wind_. She must've seen the movie and read the book at least a dozen times each.

She always laughed and cried during this movie, but this time she felt somewhat embarrassed to do so. It was crazy, but it seemed like Steve kept glancing at her during very emotional scenes. _Charlie you need to get over yourself, he's just watching the movie, he's not looking at you. But God, why can't I watch movies like a normal person?_

And as she mouthed along to Clark Gable's famous line "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn," she glanced over and saw Steve quickly look away with a smile on his face. And for the second time that night her cheeks turned pink. _Yeah, he definitely saw that. Could I be more embarrassing?_

Hoping that her blush had gone down by the time the theater lights came up, she quickly stood up and yawned while stretching. They walked outside together, Charlie glad that she remembered her jacket, and quickly bundled up in it on the cold November night.

"Goodnight, Steve," she said through her yawns. She then began to turn to walk the short distance to her apartment.

"Wait, Charlie… I was wondering if you…" Steve mumbled with a bright pink blush forming on his cheeks.

She turned back expecting him to finish his thought, but after an awkward pause she asked, "You were wondering?" She hadn't seen him blush before; somehow he even made that look handsome. She smiled, hoping to encourage him to speak.

"Yeah… I was just wondering… if you um, had any licorice left?" _Oh. Somehow I thought maybe…_

"Oh. Sure! Have the rest the bag," she said, unable to keep the surprise out of her tone, "Night, Steve."

"Thanks, Charlie! Goodnight."

As she walked away she inwardly cursed herself. _I told you not to get your hopes up. He doesn't like you like that. He's just being a gentleman and you shouldn't read into it…_

She continued on the mental tirade for nearly block until she noticed the man approach her from the alley up ahead. He was wearing a dark green jacket with the hood up, dirty jeans, and had a dark scruffy beard. She walked in silence for a few more feet, clutching her purse tighter and trying to decide what to do.

Before she formed a plan, he called out, "Hey, sugar. What are you up to tonight?" in a low scratchy voice that repulsed her. Being from a big city, she was unfortunately used to catcalls and some street harassment, but this seemed like the first time the man actually intended to approach her.

She ducked her head down and quickly turned to cross to the other side of the street. This move seemed to just make the man more indignant. He was still about 50 feet in front of her, but he copied her movements and headed towards the other sidewalk as well.

"Please leave me alone. I don't want any trouble," she called out, her voice not quite reaching the forceful tone she had hoped for.

"Oh honey, it'll only be trouble if you struggle," and at that he began to quickly stalk towards her. At his words she felt bile rise in her throat, she knew he had more intended than just stealing her purse.

_Think, Charlie, think! Fuck, I'll never be able to outrun him. _She reached into her bag, grabbed her phone and tried to dial 911. He grabbed her wrist before she could type out the number.

"I just wanna have a little fun darling," he whispered with foul hot breath into her ear.

Before she could fully think the scenario out she, she harshly twisted her body out of his grasp. She threw a wild punch with her right hand and all her strength that luckily landed right on his nose. She heard a sickening crunch, and he stumbled back.

"You fucking bitch!," he yelled in pain. He grabbed at his face, where blood was starting to flow down.

As she turned to run, the man screamed, "Gabriel, grab the little slut!"

She had been so caught up in fighting off her attacker that she hadn't noticed he had his two friends approaching from behind her.

Before she could process their arrival, one of the men pushed her to the ground. Charlie let out an ear-piercing shriek as her head struck the ground hard. She could feel blood on her face where her lip had split and the pain in her head threatened to make her blackout.

She heard the men arguing over what to do next.

"We have to move her, someone might have heard her scream!"

"No one cares, no one is going to come help her."

"She broke my fucking nose! I'm gonna kill the stupid bitch!"

Hot, tears spilled out of Charlie's face, out of both fear and pain. She tried to look around the alley they had dragged her into to see if she could find some sort of a weapon. She was just about to reach toward a broken bottle when she heard a crash.

She looked over and saw one the named Gabriel crumpled in heap in front of a dumpster, which now had a human-shaped dent in the front of it.

The other two began to shout, and each pulled out knives. A man stepped out of the shadows, he was tall and his normally smooth blonde hair was rustled. It took her a moment to realize who it was. _Steve?_ _What the hell is happening?!_ The man who had initially grabbed her was now approaching Steve.

"Get out of here pretty boy, before I cut you," he flashed his knife dangerously.

Steve ran towards the man, and through a series of movies to quick for her eyes to follow, her attacker was disarmed and lying unconscious on the ground.

The third man, after seeing what had happened to his comrades, turned to run away. But before he had taken even two steps, Steve had thrown him on the ground.

"Next time pick on someone your own size," Steve practically growled before landing a punch on the man's jaw that knocked him out cold.

Charlie's body, as if sensing the danger was gone, began to feel numb and cold as the burst of adrenaline left her system. Her vision narrowed and the last thing she saw, before passing out, was Steve kneeling over her, his blue eyes incredibly bright.

She was vaguely aware of him shouting her name as she drifted into darkness.

* * *

So now that you've had a chance to get to know my OC a little better what do you think? I know she started off fairly simple, but I wanted you to see her a bit from Steve's perspective of getting to know her before we dove into her POV.

Thanks for reading and/or reviewing!


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The first thing she noticed when she woke was the smell. The scent was a cross between disinfectant and an artificial citrus blend. She recognized it immediately. _Oh God,_ _I'm in a hospital. What the hell happened?! _Her breath immediately quickened, she knew that something must be very wrong.

It took her a few more minutes of lying with her eyes shut for the memories to begin flooding back. _I was walking home. And… and that man, he was going to… Oh God. _She felt her heart's pace double as she imagined the horrible things they had planned for her._ But I got away! How did I get away? I remember hurting one of them, but… Oh, Steve. He saved my life._

Silent tears had begun to flow down her cheeks, and she choked back a sob as fear threatened to consume her.

"Charlie! Charlie! It's okay you're okay! They're gone, I promise. You're safe now."

She opened her eyes, but immediately shut them back against the blinding fluorescent light. She heard a quick grind of chair scraping against the floor as Steve got up, and as the glare against her eyelids went away she knew he had shut off the lights.

"Steve?" she whispered. She was scared to open her eyes again, scared to find out it wasn't all just a bad dream. She wanted to be in her soft, queen bed at home, curled up in the light yellow quilt she had since she was a child. _I'm so scared._

"I'm here, Charlie," he whispered gently to her. He took her hand and squeezed lightly, hoping to reassure her. His mother had once upon a time taught him about bedside manner, he now wished he had the skills and comfort that a lifetime of nursing and having a kind heart had given her.

She let his words slowly sink in. _They're gone, they're gone, they're gone._ She repeated the mantra in her head until she felt its truth. _I'm safe. It's okay. Steve is here._ She finally squeezed his hand back, wishing she could absorb all the safety she felt in his gesture.

She eventually opened her eyes, and turned to look at him. She used her free hand to wipe up the dampness on her cheeks.

"Can you… can you tell me what happened?" she said quietly. Her hazy memory still didn't tell her exactly how he gotten to her or how he had fought _them_ off. "I just, when I hit my head, things got kind of foggy."

"Of course. I was heading home and I had been a couple blocks away from where you were, but I heard… I heard you scream," at this he squeezed her hand again, partially to comfort her, partially because he couldn't control the muscle-tightening his fury caused.

"I started running in your direction, and I heard them talking about you and… I called the police, but I couldn't wait, they were going to hurt you more, I had to do something. I fought them off," at this she interrupted.

"But how did you? I mean, I know you're a big guy, and you look really strong and muscled…" _Stop rambling!_ "But anyway, there were three of them! And they had knives, Steve they could have killed you!"

He couldn't explain to her how a few hoodlums with switchblades could barely scratch him after being injected with the super-soldier serum. But he hated lying to her, so he quickly thought to tell her at least a partial truth.

"I wasn't always strong. I used to be a sick and scrawny kid, so I got ganged up on a lot. When I got older I learned how to fight, I didn't want to feel so helpless anymore," she inwardly flinched at his words. _Helpless. I was helpless. _

"And I don't know, I think with the adrenaline pumping, my instincts just kicked in. And I saw you on the ground, and I didn't… I didn't know how to help you." He took a long pause, and just looked at her, his eyes full of regret and longing. Steve had lost so many people in his life, and seeing her lying there, slipping out of consciousness, it made him angry just to visualize it. He realized that he really did care for her; he felt so protective towards her, the girl who had given him hope.

"But thankfully the ambulance and police showed up a few minutes later. And then I rode to the hospital with you, and now I've just been waiting for you to wake up." He checked his watch, "We've been here for about three hours. Speaking of which, I should go let the nurse know you're awake."

He stood up to head out to the nurse's station. He paused for a moment, seeming to sense that she may not want to be left alone. He squeezed her hand one last time, "I'll be back in just a second. You're safe here, Charlie."

She nodded, grateful for his concern. And although she trusted what he said, it didn't stop her other source of anxiety.

Charlie had always hated hospitals. Like Steve, she had spent most of her childhood plagued with sickness and fatigue. She had been born with rare congenital heart defect that had left her bed-ridden for years, only after multiple surgeries and experimental treatments did she finally start getting better. As a result, she had spent more time in hospitals than she ever cared to admit and had detested every second of it. And now that she was alone in the cold, unfeeling room for a moment, she felt a desperate urge inside her telling her that she needed to leave _now_.

Steve came back with the nurse, and found Charlie struggling to sit herself up and pull herself out of the hospital bed.

He rushed to her side, saying, "Whoa, whoa, Charlie you need to lay back down."

At the same time the nurse said, "Ma'am please, you really need to rest!"

"I'm really fine! Look at me, totally fine." She realized too late that this probably wasn't the best thing to say considering she was covered in bandages. "I just, I really hate hospitals, no offense. I just need to go home," she pleaded.

The nurse looked at her with sympathy, "Let me just go through your chart with you and your doctor should be in to see you in about twenty minutes, and if he clears you, then you can go."

"Thank you so, so much." Charlie really wanted to get out now, but she supposed she could survive another twenty minutes.

"Alright, so just let me know if all this information is correct. Your name is Charlotte Ann Cohen? Age 24? Birth date is January 6, 1987?"

"I go by Charlie, but yeah that's all correct."

"Excellent," she said before coming over and running a myriad of small tests, quickly writing whatever the results were into the chart.

"So as for my current injuries?"

"Ah yes, let's see, two bruised ribs, three stitches on your scalp, a split lip, but no concussion."

"So I'll live, awesome."

At this the nurse left, with a promise of returning with the doctor as soon as possible. She turned to Steve, who had been sitting quietly in the corner.

"I'm sorry I didn't get there sooner," he said, remorse coloring his voice.

"Hey! You saved _my life_, you do not get to feel bad! Really Steve, I don't know what I would have done…"

Before she could finish her thought, a tiny red-haired woman burst into the room. _Shit._

"Charlie Cohen, what the hell happened!? I get off the night shift and I have half a dozen messages saying you're in the hospital! But they wouldn't tell me what happened! They just said you were hurt and that I should bring you a change of clothes. Are you okay!?"

And at the last question she burst into tears, and ran into Charlie's waiting open arms.

"I'm so sorry Hazel, I was just walking back from the movie. And these guys tried to mug me." She shot Steve a quick look that clearly said, _keep quiet_, she didn't want Hazel to be more concerned about her than she needed to. "I was dumb, I didn't want to give up my purse, so I punched one of them, and he knocked me over. I just have a couple stitches and bruised ribs, I'm going to be fine."

Charlie could see behind her roommate's angry bravado that Hazel was just so terrified of losing her.

"God Charlie, I just, please don't ever scare me like that again."

After a long hug, Hazel finally noticed another person in the room. "Um, whose the dreamboat in the corner?" she whispered to Charlie.

"Hazel this is Steve…" _Wait, what was his last name?_

"Rogers, Steve Rogers," he finished for her, and stood up to shake Hazel's hand.

"And Steve, this is Hazel Peters, my best friend and roommate. Hazel, Steve is the one who…"

"I just chased the guys away." She had very nearly said "saved my life," but fortunately he had noticed her pause and covered for her.

"Well then, I guess thank you very much!" Hazel said and gave him a hug that looked fairly comedic given the fact that Steve had at least a foot of height over her small 5'2" build. This would have made Charlie laugh had she not felt a little pang of jealousy instead. However, the bitter thought was pushed out of her mind when the nurse came back, towing along a tall, silver-haired doctor. Steve and Hazel went to the waiting room to give her some privacy.

"How's my little fighter doing?"

"Dr. Ottinger?" Charlie looked at the handsome man with a dumbfounded expression, "What are you doing here?"

"Well I had check up on my best patient! It's in your chart that I get paged, no matter the circumstances. I had to run some tests to make sure that everything was running properly, and that nothing had been damaged or ruptured with your heart. But it looks like everything is still working smoothly."

"Oh, of course. I should have realized, I didn't even…" After having been healthy for so many years, she often forgot that her body had not always been up to par. Dr. Ottinger had been her cardiologist since she was a child, and it was his surgeries that had saved her life. Him and her father had worked together for years, and she had come to think of the man as family.

"It's okay, Charlie, you're all good to go. I'm sure you're itching to get out of here, just remember to take it easy for the next few days, and get plenty of rest. And be sure to call me if you feel any chest pains, dizziness, or any other concerns."

He helped her to her feet, and then gave her a quick hug. When they released, he stared at her, his dark grey eyes full of concern. "Charlie, please be safe."

She felt herself on the verge of tears, looking at the man who reminded her so much of her father.

"Thank you. For everything."

After he was gone, Charlie went to the bathroom and quickly dressed in the clothes Hazel had brought her. The navy sweatpants, and oversized Yankees sweatshirt weren't particularly cute but they did fill her with a sense of warmth and home, which she so desperately needed. When she came back out, Hazel and Steve had returned to the room. Charlie quickly gave her roommate a significant look.

"Ah, I'll give you guys a minute to, um, talk," and she sped out of the room and shut the door.

"Hey Steve, I just, I really want to say thank you again. Oh, and I almost forgot, did the cops leave a card or anything? I'm sure I need to go give a statement or something."

"Ah, no. It's all taken care of. They said the physical evidence was going to be enough to convict," he said hurriedly. "And Charlie I'm really glad that you're okay, I don't know what I'd do if you weren't."

Having been through a complete emotional and physical rollercoaster that night, Charlie decided to take the leap that she normally never would. _Just do it!_

She reached out and hugged him, and when his arms closed around her she felt such comfort that she almost started crying again. It was crazy that despite everything that had happened that night, his embrace managed to make her feel safe. _Pull yourself together, Cohen._

When they pulled apart, Charlie gathered the courage to ask, "Would you want to go get coffee or something, sometime? I'll buy, I mean it's the least I could do after the whole saving my life thing."

"I would love to!" he said with a wide smile brightening his face, although he mentally noted that of course he would pay. He gave her the number to the cell phone SHEILD had insisted he carry with him at all times, and he wrote down hers, hoping he could figure out how to input it himself later.

* * *

That's all for now!

Side note: I rewrote this chapter a couple of times trying to get the sentiment right, and I'm still not completely happy with it, but I hope the tone I was going for comes across.

Finally, I want to give a little shout out to user LadyLionhart, your kind words really meant a lot to me! Your reviews truly made my day :)

And again thanks to everyone for reading!


End file.
